Westlund v. Mountrail County
Westlund v. Mountrail County
Opinion of the Court
This is an action to determine adverse claims to a quarter section of land in Mountrail County in this state and for an accounting of the rents and profits received by the defendants from the land.
The plaintiff Marie "Westlund was the record owner of the land in question in 1929 and continued to be such owner during the time involved in this action. The second installment of the 1929 taxes against such land was not paid and the land was sold to Mountrail County for such delinquent taxes. Subsequent tax sales certificates were issued or deemed to be issued to the county as provided by law for all taxes for the years 1930 to 1937 inclusive. In 1938 a tax deed was issued to the county upon the tax certificate that had been issued upon the sale for the delinquent taxes for 1929. Mountrail County entered into possession of the land under such deed and was in possession thereof during the years 1938,1939, 1940 and 1941 and collected rents during that time. In 1942 the county sold the land to Albert Moe upon a contract for deed. Albert Moe assigned the contract to James Moe who paid the balance due thereon and received a deed from the county. The purchase price paid for the land' was $208. No taxes were assessed or levied against the land after the tax deed was executed and delivered to the county until in 1942, when it had been sold to Albert Moe. After the land had been conveyed by the county to James Moe the county commissioners cancelled all taxes of record against the premises as of the date the land was sold to Moe as prescribed by NDRC 1943, 57-2821. The Moes were in the .possession of the land under their contract and deed from the county during the years 1942 up to and including 1947 and they paid the taxes levied against the premises for the years ■ Í942 up to and including 1945. In March 1947 the plaintiff, Marie Westlund, in
No motion was made for a new trial or for a modification or amendment of the judgment and no appeal was taken from the judgment.
After the entry of the judgment, adjudging the tax deed to be null and void and that Marie Westlund, the plaintiff therein, was the owner of said premises, the county auditor re-entered the taxes against the lands for the years 1929 to 1937 inclusive, which had been cancelled by the county commissioners, and caused the land to be assessed and taxes- entered against it for the years 1938 to- 1941 inclusive as land which had escaped taxation. He also entered taxes against the land for the years 1942 to 1945 which had been paid by Albert Moe and James Moe and which the county was obligated to repay and did repay to Albert and James Moe.
After judgment had been rendered in her favor the plaintiff made application to the county commissioners of Mountrail County that the taxes which had been so entered by the county auditor be abated on the ground that the taxes from 1930 to 1937 inclusive had been cancelled by the county commissioners ; that no taxes had been assessed or levied against the premises for the years 1938 to 1941 inclusive, and that the taxes for the years 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945 had been paid (by the Moes) and tax receipts issued therefor. The county commissioners denied the application for abatement and the plaintiff, Marie Westlund, appealed from the decision of the board of county commissioners to the district court. The district court affirmed the decision of the county commissioners and the plaintiff,, Marie Westlund, appealed to this court. This court affirmed the decision of the district court, and held that the county auditor acted in conformity with the law when he re-entered the taxes for the years 1930 to 1937 inclusive, which the county commissioners had sought to cancel, and the taxes for the years 1942 to 1945 inclusive, which the defendants Moe had paid, and in causing taxes to be laid against the land as property that erroneously had been omitted from taxation ip the years 1938
Thereafter the plaintiff instituted this action against Mount-rail County and Albert Moe and James Moe as defendants to determine adverse claims to the land and for an accounting for rents and profits. In the complaint the plaintiff alleged that the plaintiff was and during all the times mentioned in the complaint has been the owner of the land in controversy. That the defendant Mountrail County in April 1938.took possession of the premises and rented the same during the years 1939 to 1941 inclusive and during such time collected rents and profits “from the use and possession of said land.” That Mountrail County in the spring of 1942 sold the land to Albert Moe for $208 on a contract for deed. That subsequently Albert Moe assigned his contract to the defendant James Moe. That the contract was fully performed and the full amount of the purchase price paid to Mountrail County. That the defendants Moe were in possession of the premises and farmed the land during the years 1942 to 1947 inclusive and that no accounting has been made to the plaintiff for such use and occupancy. That the defendants Moe paid all taxes levied against the land for the years 1942 to 1945 inclusive. That in 1947 in an action in said district court wherein the said Marie Westlnnd was plaintiff and the defendants Albert Moe and James Moe were defendants a judgment was rendered quieting title to said land in the plaintiff as against the said defendants Moe. That in such action it was determined that the plaintiff 'should pay $208, the amount paid by the defendants to Mountrail County under their contract for deed less the costs of the action. That on refusal of the defendants to accept said moneys the $208 less costs of action were paid to the clerk of the district court for the benefit of the defendants in accordance with the judgment rendered in such action. It was further alleged that the defendant Mountrail County has caused to be spread upon its records real estate taxes against said land for the second half of 1929 and for subsequent years from the year 1930 up to and including the year 1946, with penalty and interest while retaining the rents received while in possession of the land and the moneys
After the service of the motion to vacate the judgment the parties entered into a stipulation “that the Judgment may be vacated and that Mountrail County may amend its answer as proposed by Mountrail County and that no testimony or evidence need be offered, but that instead these additional facts are hereby stipulated and agreed shall be-added to the above stipulation of facts and shall be considered by the Court in rendering its decision in this case.” It was further stipulated “that a tax deed was issued to Mountrail County on the 1st day of October 1948, for the non-payment of taxes for the years 1929 (last half) to 1943 inclusive and that exhibits no. 1, 2, 3, 4,, 5, 6 and 7 are the true and correct and original records of the Auditor’s Office upon which this tax title was issued and that such exhibits are received in evidence and may be considered by the
Appellant contends that the tax deed issued to Mountrail County on October 15, 1948, was void because the amount stated therein as required to be paid by Marie Westlund to effect á redemption was grossly in excess of that which was due and owing upon the taxes against the tract of land. This contention is in turn predicated largely upon the contention that the taxes cancelled by the county commissioners against the land after the sale thereof to the defendants Moe should not have been reinstated, that the taxes so cancelled by the county commissioners remained cancelled and that the county auditor had no authority to re-enter them. It is further contended that Marie Westlund was entitled to credit upon any taxes outstanding against the land for the amount of rents collected by the county while in possession of the land, namely $104.39,— such rent collections to be applied as of the time they were received by the county. It is further contended that Marie West
Appellant admits that her contention that the county auditor was without authority to reinstate and enter the taxes which had been cancelled by the county commissioners and the taxes which had been paid by the Moes against the land and refunded to them is contrary to the decision of this court in Westlund v. Stalnecker, supra; but she asserts that that decision is erroneous and should be overruled. Appellant contends that in any event she' should be required- to pay .only, the amount that the county refunded to the Moes for the amount of the purchase price of the land.and subsequent taxes paid by them or $266.00.
The question as to the status of the taxes that had been can-celled by the county commissioners upon the sale of the land to. the defendants Moe and the authority of the county auditor to re-enter such taxes and the taxes that afterwards were paid by the Moes while they occupied the land under their deed from the county and the taxes that were assessed for the years that the land had been omitted from taxation was considered and determined in Westlund v. Stalnecker, supra, and decided contrary to the contention of the appellant here. The grounds for such holding are fully stated in the decision in Westlund v. Stalnecker, supra, and we see no reason for departing from our former holding and adhere to what was said in that decision. It seems to be assumed by appellant that the decision in the Original action to determine adverse claims adjudged the taxes and the tax certificates on which the deed was based to be void. There was no such determination, the tax deed was held invalid solely on the ground that in the notice of the expiration of the period of redemption there was included in the amount which the owner was required to pay to effect a redemption the amoupt of tax certificates which had been issued within three years
There was no holding or even an intimation that the tax or the tax certificate on which the tax deed to the county was based were for any reason invalid or void. The effect of the decision was merely to set aside the tax deed that had been issued because a legal notice of expiration of the period of redemption had not been served. Apparently some of the misunderstanding and confusion that seems to exist in this case stems from the deposit that was made by the plaintiff upon the trial of the original action to determine adverse claims. InT941 the Legislative Assembly enacted a statute, which was embodied in NDEC 1943, 57-4510, relating to a tender or deposit to be made by a party challenging the validity of a deed issued and delivered by a county to the purchaser of land acquired by the county through tax deed proceedings. In. 1945 the Legislative Assembly reenacted ■ and amended said NDEC 1943, 57-4510. See Laws 1945, Chapter 314; 1949 Supp. to NDEC 1943, 57-4510. The two statutes differed in many material respects. In order that the differences may be apparent they are set forth in parallel columns.
“Whenever any action at law or in equity is brought to test the validity of any deed issued and delivered by the county to the purchaser of lands acquired through tax deed proceedings, the court shall not proceed with the trial of such action until the party assailing the validity of such deed, within the time required by the court, shall deposit with the clerk thereof, for the benefit of the party claiming title under such deed, an amount equal to the sum paid by such party to the county for
On July 1, 1945, NDBC 1943, 57 — 4510 ceased to exist, and was superseded by Laws 1945, Chapter 314; 1949 Supp. to NDBC 1943, 57-4510. It will be noted that NDBC 1943, .57-4510 provided that whenever an action is brought to test the validity of any deed issued and delivered by the' county - to the purchaser of lands acquired through tax deed proceedings, the court before proceeding with the trial is authorized to require ■ “that the party assailing the validity of such deed, within the time required. by the court, shall deposit with the clerk thereof, for the benefit of the party claiming title under such deed, an amount equal to the sum paid by such party to the county for the purchase’ of the property covered by such deed, together with an amount sufficient to pay the defendant’s statutory costs of the action, to be determined by the order of the court.” ” This was changed by Laws 1945, Chapter 314 and 1949 Supp. to NDBQ 1943, 57-4510, so as to provide that when an action is brought to test the validity of a deed, issued and delivered by the county to the purchaser of lands acquired through tax deed proceedings, the court before proceeding with the trial of the action is authorized to require that “the party assailing the validity of such deed, within the time required by the court, shall deposit with the clerk thereof for the benefit of the county should the deed by held invalid, the amount of all delinquent and unpaid taxes on said property, including penalty and interest, plus any taxes paid thereon by the purchaser from the county. Should said action be determined adversely to the purchaser from the
Tbe deposit involved here was apparently ordered and made on tbe theory and in tbe belief that NDRC 1943, 57-4510 was applicable. In fact, appellant’s counsel states in bis brief that be and counsel for tbe defendants were not aware that NDRC 1943, 57-4510 bad been superseded by Laws 1945, Chapter 314. There is no claim that there was any objection to tbe order for tbe deposit and it is intimated that it was made at the instance of tbe plaintiff. In plaintiff’s brief on this appeal it is said: “Tbe court did make its order on plaintiff’s motion, requiring that tbe plaintiff pay to tbe defendant $208.00 before judgment would be entered quieting title.” Tbe order for judgment provided that tbe plaintiff pay to tbe clerk of tbe court for tbe defendants (purchaser of tbe land) the amount which the purchaser bad paid to tbe county. Tbe court further provided that there be deducted from tbe amount so deposited tbe amount of costs taxed in favor of tbe plaintiff in that action and that tbe balance of tbe amount deposited, after deduction of such costs, be paid to tbe defendant purchaser. Tbe defendant refused to accept the money. No provision was made in tbe order or otherwise for tbe disposition of tbe money in tbe event tbe defendant refused to accept it. Tbe clerk' of tbe district court deposited tbe money with tbe county treasurer, but tbe money did not belong to tbe county. Tbe money had been deposited by tbe plaintiff to be paid to tbe defendant Moe. No application was made for any change in tbe order or judgment with respect to tbe disposition of the deposit. Obviously tbe county treasurer and tbe county auditor could not appropriate such moneys for tbe county in payment of taxes. ■ The moneys held by tbe treasurer, were tbe moneys of tbe plaintiff Westlund, which bad been deposited for a specified purpose and even though there were no valid reasons why tbe plaintiff should have been required to make a deposit for tbe benefit of the purchaser tbe county officers could not transform the deposit into funds of tbe county as a payment of taxes. Upon tbe defendant’s refusing to accept tbe moneys tbe plaintiff was entitled to demand and receive tbe return thereof.
The court found that a tax deed was issued to the county on October 15, 1948. The deed was not introduced in evidence and is not before us. As to the deed, the parties relied alone upon the stipulation of facts. The deed is presumed to be regular and valid. Nothing has been shown to the contrary. Hence, the trial court was correct in finding that Mountrail County is the owner of the land but that such ownership is subject to the right of the plaintiff under the laws of the State to repurchase the same. The plaintiff is also entitled to recover, and it is the obligation of the county to pay her, the $104.39, the amount of rents which the county collected and received during its occupancy and still retains.
The judgment appealed from is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MARIE WESTLUND v. MOUNTRAIL COUNTY, a municipal corporation
- Status
- Published